1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sleeved hinge for use with a wall mounted ironing board. The telescoping hinge allows the ironing board to pivot downward to a horizontal position, and alternately, pivot upward to a vertical position so that it is contained within a very thin cabinet for storage. Also, the telescoping hinge allows the back of the board to pivot along a single axis within the cabinet, instead of sliding upward and downward relative to the cabinet, as is the case with prior art wall mounted ironing boards.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the objectives in building wall mounted ironing boards is to produce a cabinet that is thin and can be mounted on the wall of the user""s dwelling without having to place the cabinet into the wall itself, i.e. avoiding having to build in the cabinet by placing it between the studs of the wall.
Until now, prior art wall mounted ironing boards usually folded up in the cabinet by sliding the back of the board relative to the cabinet. In this arrangement, the cabinet had to be thick because the back of the ironing board moved in a track within the side walls of the cabinet. And the side walls had to be thick enough to provide sufficient strength for the track to be cut into each side of the cabinet. These thick cabinets were generally awkward to mount on the surface of the wall and were in the way when they were mounted to the wall of the user""s dwelling. In addition to being undesirable for use in a small room or otherwise close quarters within the user""s dwelling, the thick cabinet of prior art wall mounted ironing boards was visually unattractive due to its thick configuration.
Also, in trying to make the cabinet and the board as thin as possible, it was difficult to achieve a strong and solid horizontal position for the ironing board when the board was in use.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a telescoping hinge that attaches by one end to the inside bottom of the cabinet and on its other end to the underneath side at the front end of the board. The bottom of the board is provided with a groove that receives the telescoping hinge when the board is pivoted upward into its storage position. The back end of the board is pivotally mounted to the sides of the cabinet so that the board pivots to allow the board to be moved between its raised vertical storage position and its lowered horizontal in use position. This arrangement allows the cabinet to be made so that it very thin.
Also, the board is particularly stable and strong when in its horizontal position. This is because the hinge, which supports the board, has the smaller of its two telescoping pieces fully inserted within the larger of its two pieces when the board is in its horizontal position.
The present invention is a sleeved hinge for use in association with a wall mounted ironing board. The telescoping hinge allows the ironing board to pivot downward to a horizontal position, and alternately, pivot upward to a vertical position where it is contained within a cabinet for storage. Also, the telescoping hinge allows the back of the board to pivot along a single axis within the cabinet.
The telescoping hinge pivotally attaches by one end to the inside bottom of the cabinet and pivotally attaches on its other end to the underneath side of the board at the front end of the board. The underneath side of the board is provided with a groove that receives the telescoping hinge when the board is pivoted upward into its storage position. The back end of the board is pivotally mounted to the sides of the cabinet so that the board pivots to allow the board to be moved between its raised vertical storage position and its lowered horizontal in use position. This arrangement allows the cabinet to be made so that it very thin.
The board is particularly stable and strong when it is in its horizontal position. This is because the hinge, which supports the board, has the smaller of its two telescoping pieces fully inserted within the larger of its two pieces when the board is in its horizontal position.